According to local sources, the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) is considering using the public private partnership model to add a toll lane in each direction along a 25-mile stretch of Interstate 55 (the Stevenson Expressway) in Chicago.

The project would stretch between Interstate 355 in Bolingbrook and Interstates 90/94 (the Dan Ryan Expressway).

The proposal, which was the subject of a public hearing on Dec. 9, considers building one inbound and one outbound lane for toll traffic. The department could operate a toll system itself, or enter into a PPP contract with a private firm, the decision has not been made yet.

IDOT Secretary Randy Blankenhorn was quoted in the local press as saying that a "detailed review" will continue for several more months, with a final decision likely next summer. Construction could begin in 2017 and be be completed by 2018.

The agency still not decide whether the lanes will be a high-occupancy vehicle, high-occupancy toll, congested price lane or other type of managed lane configuration.

I-55 carries more than 180,000 vehicles each day and the I-90 between I-55 and West Pershing Road ranks number 23 among the 50 most bottlenecked roads in the country.

Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner put a hold on plans for the Illiana Expressway P3 in 2014 soon after taking office. He decided later that year to cancel the project.